Here’s Raheem The Dream’s eye-candy spouse on video. If you haven’t seen it yet, the play at 1:42 of the video will get you a little excited.

Find more videos like this on I’m a Top Prospect

Not sure how many readers clicked on the article Joe linked earlier on the crowded quarterback field of the Bucs, but there may have been a small element missed by a few readers.

In last weekend’s draft, Bucs general manager Mark Domink attempted to trade Son of Bob. As one can guess, no other team took the bait reports Dan Parr of ProFootballWeekly.com.

The Buccaneers’ clouded picture at quarterback is becoming a bit clearer as the dust from draft weekend settles. Tampa Bay has five signalcallers on its roster, but at least one, and perhaps two, will be traded or released before the season, the way we hear it. Sources say the first quarterback to get his walking papers will be Brian Griese. Griese was shopped during the draft, but there were no takers for the 34-year-old backup.

No takers! Can you imagine? Maybe Mark Dominik hasn’t heard, but Chucky, when he isn’t on NFL Network, is hiding in a bunker at the Ice Palace guarded by Tim Marcum.

Chucky’s the only one demented enough to actually trade for Son of Bob.

You are welcome.

The Bucs must like Joe’s partnership with the good people of Derby Lane because the Bucs are gamblers. At least, that would be the conclusion from Bucky Brooks of NFL.com.

In handing out report cards for all teams in the NFC South, Brooks sort of liked the Bucs but admitted the Bucs “gambled” on all of their picks.

In this NFL Network video, Michael Lombardi and Terrell Davis discuss the NFC South and the Bucs’ drafts. Davis wasn’t as positive as Brooks was.

If Joe has learned anything in the brief regime of Raheem the Dream, it’s that when he lusts over a quarterback wearing Pewter and Red, said quarterback better start watching his back.

When Raheem the Dream first got the job, he was on a three-month long sales pitch about how great Luke McCown is. At best now, McCown is just keeping the seat warm for Freeman.

Raheem the Dream then told all how Josh Johnson was just an unpolished jewel. Now there are rumblings that Johnson won’t be long for the Bucs.

Then Raheem the Dream went out and told Byron Leftwich he would be given a shot to start, only to go out and trade up in the first round to draft a quarterback.

Now Raheem the Dream is in full over-the-top slobbering mode over Freeman, going so far as to gush over how Freeman can take a snap, so reports Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune! Imagine?

“He took control of the huddle,” Morris said. “I don’t believe he had one bad snap besides the guard tripping him earlier in the walkthrough.

“Other than that, he got every snap. Delivered the football, controlled the huddle well. Made some nice throws. Did some things we liked today.”

Raheem the Dream needs to dial it down a bit. Blabbering how a first round pick can actually take a snap is about as mind-blowing as getting worked up over how an offensive lineman can get down in a three-point stance.

And if recent history is any judge, Freeman should at least be a bit concerned over Raheem the Dream’s sale pitches. That is until he signs his $20 million dollar contract.

The latest insider scoop on Jason Taylor from the Miami Herald includes no mention of the Bucs as a possible suitor for the pretty boy defensive end.

Joe highly recommends the story by Armando Salguero. Lots of good stuff.

Bill Parcells has studied tape of every single snap Taylor played in 2008 and came away believing there is still gas in JT’s tank — just not at the same high mark as a couple of years ago. Taylor has indeed diminished, according to the Dolphins source, so there is a serious question about how big of an upgrade he would be over say, Cameron Wake.

Again, Joe doesn’t believe there is any substance to speculation that Taylor is being considered by the Bucs.

Defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson won't be dancing if the Bucs ink DE Jason Taylor

Joe always has been a fan of that James Brown song, Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing.

How fitting that title is for the latest round of Jason Taylor-to-Tampa Bay buzz coming out of One Buc Palace on Friday.

Essentially, defensive coordinator Jim Bates told the media, “There’s been discussion,” about Taylor joining the Bucs.

Of course, at no time does Bates reveal who had those discussions. Perhaps it was just Bates begging Mark Dominik to toss him a lifeline?

Or maybe Bates raised his hand when Raheem The Dream closed a coaches meeting with, “Any questions?”

Dream:  “Yes, Jim. I see your hand.”

Bates: “Can we bring in Jason Taylor? I’m not feeling it with Jimmy Wilkerson.”

Dream: “We’ll discuss that again another time.”

Joe puts the odds of Taylor wearing Pewter and Red at 10-1.

It’s been reported Taylor wants to play near his family in the Miami area. Perhaps there’s an outside chance the lure of a short flight home and Jim Bates would be enough for Taylor to deal with a below-market salary and a rebuilding team.

Yes, you can make your wager right now on the Kentucky Derby at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg.

And if you’re looking for the biggest Derby party in town, Derby Lane has you covered. Gates open at 10:30 a.m.

You can feast in style at the Derby Club, plus enjoy the Kentucky Derby, the full Churchill Downs card and great racing from around the country, plus live greyhound action. Poker heats up this afternoon and runs until 2 a.m.

Perhaps Chucky's quarterbacks "laboratory" has yet to be destroyed

Pro Football Weekly’s resident Bucs insider, Dan Parr, confirms what Joe has been telling you for days: that Son of Bob will be cut soon.

Parr also goes on to report the Bucs may carry four quarterbacks on the opening day roster. 

(See, Raheem The Dream is indeed part of the Chucky coaching tree.)

Parr writes:

After parting ways with Griese, we hear there’s a good chance Tampa could decide to carry its four remaining quarterbacks — Luke McCown, Byron Leftwich, Josh Johnson and first-round pick (No. 17 overall) Josh Freeman — into the regular season. Few teams opt to fill four valuable roster slots with quarterbacks, but Tampa did it last season and may not mind doing it again. 

 … …  McCown and Leftwich are the primary competitors to keep the seat warm for Freeman, with McCown owning a slight edge in that head-to-head battle. A poor performance in camp, however, could cost Leftwich his job, since he received no guaranteed money or bonuses in his deal. Johnson, entering his second season, is still developing, and the club doesn’t appear willing to give up on him just yet.

This chatter about the Bucs clinging to some hope with Josh Johnson flies in the face of Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas’ comments this week. Vacation Man, of ESPN.com, had said the Bucs were never enamored with Johnson.

Now if that’s not enough spin to make you dizzy on a Saturday, remember Chucky raved about Johnson on Christmas Eve, during the only time Chucky ever hinted publicly at getting fired, reported exclusively on JoeBucsFan.com.

Nothing like rookie camp with a first round quarterback selection in the house to draw the media hounds.

Watch Josh Freeman stretch and throw with his rookie mates, and Raheem The Dream speak.

Sirius NFL Radio's Alex Marvez and Jim Miller suggested Friday the Bucs don't need wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

A caller to Sirius NFL Radio’s “The Blitz” Friday afternoon scolded the Bucs for re-signing wide receiver Michael Clayton as a “foolish” move and wondered aloud about packaging Clayton in a deal to Arizona for Anquan Boldin.

Co-hosts Alex Marvez and Jim Miller not only shot down the trade idea, but suggested the Bucs don’t need Boldin.

Alex Marvez: Clayton is not tradable. You can’t trade a player that you gave a huge amount of money to because the signing bonus would accelerate plus he is one of the best blocking receivers in the game and there is something to be said for that. Now he has to improve his receiving skills.

They traded for Winslow so that’s like adding a receiver. He’s the best tight they’ve had since Jimmie Giles or maybe Jackie Harris.

If Boldin comes in, he wants a new deal and then how does Antonio Bryant feel? He’s upset then. You would mess with locker room chemistry. There is some sensitivity there. They want to be a close knit team.

Jim Miller: Adding Ward and Winslow, and then they have those two big receivers. And don’t forget Maurice Stovall. Jeff Jagodzinski will clean up the verbiage. He will simplify the offense.

The Bucs have a good running back to run the rock and those big receivers. That is the focal point.  I’m not saying Freeman will get on the field. It looks like Luke McCown but apparently he didn’t light things up in the minicamp.

I think Freeman will have to sit a year. I do not expect Griese or Josh Johnson to be on the roster much longer. This offense should be pretty good. They have a lot of weapons and a great offensive line.

AM: The Bucs spent a second round pick last year on Dexter Jackson. Maybe they try to get something out of him? I feel confident and good about the Bucs offense. I wonder if Gruden wishes he had this kind of talent?

JM: He always had to bring in veterans at quarterback. Gruden likes the veterans. He had to do that for receivers too. Historically Jagodzinski likes to takes shots down the field and now he has receivers that can go down field and he has the running backs. They have the weapons. It should be a high octane offense. They should put up the points.

Joe likes football.

Joe likes Rachel Watson.

Joe likes beer.

Joe has the NFL Network.

Joe’s a man.

So when Joe read this morning via Joe’s Twitter account that the new name of Dolphins Stadium is said to be “Landshark Lager Stadium,” Joe had a brainstorm:

Financial institutions are getting hammered hard. The CITS is named after a financial institution headquartered locally. (Joe will begin using that name when said financial firm gives Joe a low-interest loan on his residence. Until then — up yours!).

Maybe said financial firm wants to get out of its deal with the Glazer Boys? If so, Joe has the perfect institution to replace the financial firm’s name affixed to the CITS:

Yuengling!

It’s a great lager beer and is brewed in Tampa. And what goes better with football and cheerleaders than beer? It’s a marriage made on the 50-yard line!

Joe knows this won’t happen, but hey, it’s Friday and Joe is thirsty.

Any hope durable Kevin Carter might return to bolster the Bucs’ defensive line seems gone.

Not only did Carter visit with the Lions earlier this week, Bucs GM Mark Dominik talked about him in past tense in a feature on Buccaneers.com

“Out of respect to Kevin Carter, he’s a fine football player,” said Dominik. “But this gives the opportunity for Kyle Moore and Jimmy Wilkerson to step into a role, an opportunity for them to play not only for 2009 but for the future, and who’s going to be our left end in 2010 and 2011? This opportunity is now in front of them and we’re looking forward to them taking advantage of it. I think that will happen, hopefully, at linebacker, cornerback, defensive line; we’re looking for it on offense, too.”

Up in Detroit, new coach Jim Schwartz thinks Carter is still starter quality.

Schwartz said he’d likely use Carter at left defensive end on first and second downs, and as an inside pass rusher on third downs in nickel passing situations.

Joe is sure the Bucs have gotten younger. But better? That’s the big question.

Bucs seventh round draft pick wide receiver Sammie Stroughter of Oregon State could be the steal of the draft.

[Working to get some background on the Bucs new draft picks, Joe is reaching out to those in the Fourth Estate who know them better than most. Joe caught up with Oregon State beat writer Paul Buker of the Oregonian to get feedback on Bucs seventh round draft pick wide receiver Sammie Stroughter.]

What are your overall impressions of Sammie Stroughter? Was he overrated or underrated?

Stroughter doesn’t have Darius Heyward-Bey speed, but I’ve seen both guys up close and I would take Sammie. Oregon State coach Mike Riley said to anyone who would listen, the guy runs very precise routes, and he can change direction so fast it will make your head swim. More important, make a defensive back’s head swim.

I definitely think he was under-rated in the weeks before the draft (too many red flags), but that happens to a lot of guys who turn out to be pretty good players. Then again, remember I’m the guy who swore on his mother’s grave that ex-OSU WR Mike Hass would find a home in the NFL, and we’re still waiting.

How much did his bout with depression set him back? Do you think this scared off NFL teams?

My heart went out to the kid a couple years ago when we suspected (before OSU’s fall camp in 2007) that something was seriously wrong. It gave me an opportunity to do some research on top-level athletes and depression – which affects millions of Americans, athlete and non-athlete – and I thought it was a very brave move for Sammie to go public a few months later, in the hope that it would inspire others to talk with someone and get help.

Seriously, it became less worrying about Sammie Stroughter the football player and more worrying about Sammie the person for the OSU coaches and his teammates. There was a time during his darker days when coach Riley (fearful that something terrible might happen) sent a player over to his apartment just to check up on him.

Sammie’s depression cast a dark cloud over the entire program for a time – that is how much he meant to those people. I definitely think the entire episode (and it’s never over when you are taking medication for the condition) scared off some teams.

If there is one thing I want to get across to Bucs’ fans, from the perspective of someone who covered him from the day he signed his letter-of-intent, is that he has a very special appeal. When the real Sammie is present, he lights up a room with his enthusiasm, just as he lit up every practice he attended and got his teammates pumped up.

I mean, good grief, the kid used to make acrobatic catches in practice and then leap to his feet and high-five media members!

Was there a game or a play of Stroughter’s that jumped out at you when you first thought, “Damn, this guy’s going to get paid to play on Sundays.”

Two things come to mind immediately. For one, the 70-yard punt return that helped beat No. 3 USC at Reser Stadium in Corvallis in 2006. The noise level in that place sent chills down my back.

Last year, with Oregon State one win away from crashing the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1965, Sammie was the star of pre-game introductions when the seniors popped out of the big inflatable OSU helmet one-by-one. OSU fans absolutely LOVED him, and when he came roaring out, arms waving, fist pumping, you got the feeling (which was erroneous) that someway, somehow, OSU would beat arch-rival Oregon even if star tailback Jacquizz Rodgers was on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

A lot of fans remarked later that if the rest of the guys had been as charged up as Stroughter, maybe OSU wins the Civil War game.

Anything off the field that readers might find interesting that few know about (i.e. cured Athlete’s foot, saved a woman from a burning car, frolicked with a Hollywood starlet, sold popcorn at a TrailBlazers game, hunted bears, etc.)?

Sammie was amazing with kids (who wore his jersey all over town) and I also think he helped many people suffering from depression when he told his story to me, and to SI.com and to ESPN The Magazine.

If he sticks with the Bucs, he will be such a good ambassador for the team out in public I think the Tampa Bay front office people will be amazed.

To read more of Buker’s articles, visit The Oregonian.

Just a reminder for JoeBucsFan.com readers that Joe has a Twitter account. By signing up for this free service you can get updates on things Joe is working on and reminders of posts that Joe has uploaded.

If you are a hardcore JoeBucsFan.com reader, you can set up your free account to get texts whenever Joe posts something on Twitter. Joe will certainly do this for breaking news.

No, you don’t have to be a 14-year old girl to have a Twitter account. Such luminaries as Howard Stern, Matt Drudge, Newt Gingrich and Obama have Twitter accounts. Additionally, noted sports journalists such as Bernie Goldberg, Peter King, Chris Mortensen, Mike Florio, Rick Brown and John Cotey have Twitter accounts, where they update their fans throughout the day.

And yes, Joe follows each one of them.

In short, Twitter is a much more streamlined and user-friendly version of an RSS feed. It’s also interactive, in that you can send an instant message to someone via Twitter.

Hey, if Twitter is good enough for Obama, why not a JoeBucsFan.com reader?

Sadly, Joe still cannot find a Twitter account for Rachel Watson or Carmella. If one knows of such an account, please email Joe.

Periodically, Joe will bring you news of former Bucs.

In a behind the scenes peek at a production meeting for the NFL Network, Warren Sapp outs his former Super Bowl-winning teammate Brad Johnson as a source while arguing with Deion Sanders, noted Dallass Cowboys apologist.

Sapp also talks about how the NFL is not “a family.”

A bit later this morning, Joe is going to have an article dealing with Bucs seventh round pick, wide receiver Sammie Stroughter of Oregon State. The talented wide receiver went through a nasty bout of depression that nearly ended his football days, if not worse.

The perspective from the article Joe will have later will not be found any where in the Tampa Bay Fourth Estate. Not only will it be a must-read for Bucs fans, you will likely want to e-mail the link to your Bucs friends.

For a primer to the article, Joe brings you a Sports Illustrated Vault article on how Stroughter dealt with his depression.

Depression crept up gradually, worming its way into his life and tightening its grip on him, making him question everyone and everything. It was not normal for the kid from Sacramento to walk into the football office and not say “hi,” to avoid eye contact and slouch his shoulders. When Stroughter walked into a room, everyone knew it. He was the one teasing the secretaries until they giggled, high-fiving all his coaches and giving out hugs to anyone who wanted or needed them.

Hull was the first to notice something wasn’t quite right early in the summer of ’07. Stroughter had just lost three uncles, most notably Kenneth Hill, the man who first introduced him to sports. Hill had died in a freak car accident and his death shook Stroughter to the core. Because of a previous commitment, Stroughter couldn’t attend the funeral in California.

He beat himself up for not being there, believing he was letting his family down. Hull didn’t know the details, but sensed something was wrong. Immediately Hull went to Beavers head coach Mike Riley.

“Something’s up with Sam,” he told Riley. Hull might as well have said something was wrong with Riley’s own son, because within days, Riley and his staff were hatching a plan to get the player they loved back.

Based on the information and feedback Joe received for the later article on Stroughter, Joe thinks there’s a chance the Bucs may have the steal of the draft.

Not a big surprise that the Bucs traded tight end Alex Smith but the King of Turds continues to be on the roster. Joe wishes Smith the best, even though he’s going to play for Bill Belicheat.

Any other Bucs fans find it interesting like Joe that Smith’s best season was his rookie year under Chucky? Where have you heard that before?

My, what an offensive mastermind that Chucky was.

As the dust settles from the NFL Draft, JoeBucsFan.com analyst Bob Fox shares a take on the Josh Freeman pick in the Features section.

This is Fox’s post. So Joe has refrained from using the prefix “bust-in-waiting” before the name Josh Freeman.

Check out Fox’s take here.

Joe doesn’t do this often, but he’s going to pimp for someone else (not affiliated with NFL Network).

Bucs beat writer and good guy Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger, who follows Joe on Twitter, will appear today on the Sports Central Show with Kris Keprios and Ryan Ritchie at 5 p.m. on WLKF-AM, 1430 in Lakeland.

So if you happen to be in the Lakeland area tune in Brown to get the inside scoop on the Bucs. There doesn’t appear to be a function on the station’s website that streams the audio. If Joe is wrong, please e-mail him and Joe will post a link.

Usually coordinators on teams expected to compete are the ones being looked over with a wary eye. But former Bucs beat writer and current SI.com columnist Don Banks suggests new Bucs defensive coordinator Jim Bates will feel the klieg lights of football pundits.

The last time the Bucs featured a new defensive coordinator, they were still wearing those Creamsicle-colored uniforms and trying to snap a 13-year streak of losing seasons. But Monte Kiffin is indeed gone to the University of Tennessee after 13 years in Tampa Bay, and the task of remaking the Bucs defense falls to Bates, another savvy old hand when it comes to NFL coordinating. We won’t notice a big difference, but Bates favors a 4-3 defense that features linemen with a bit more girth than Kiffin’s lighter, faster models, and cornerbacks who are asked to play tons of bump-and-run coverage.

Joe thinks Bates will do a good job. Given the talent, or lack thereof he has to work with this year (unless Roy Miller and Kyle Moore are stud rookie linemen), if Bates has a defense in the top-10 of the NFL, he will have performed a near-miracle.

On face value, unemployed yet talented defensive end Jason Taylor and the Bucs seem like a natural marriage (as opposed to an unnatural marriage between bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman and Raheem the Dream).

The Bucs could use a skilled defensive end and Taylor needs a job. Since Jim Bates was hired as the Bucs defensive coordinator, many pointed to Bates as an obvious draw for Taylor since Bates molded Taylor into a Pro Bowl player when Bates was the defensive coordinator at Miami.

But Ethan J. Skolnick of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel points to a different coach with the Bucs that may keep Taylor away:

Raheem the Dream.

The Buccaneers could use a pass-rusher, Jim Bates is there and Taylor would prefer to be close to home and his family here, if possible. Tampa isn’t in South Florida (even if the university there oddly bears that name). But it’s a short drive, and an even shorter flight. The one question is whether he’d want to join a team with a rookie coach (dealt with that two straight years, and he’s older than Raheem Morris) and a quarterback situation in such flux.

It’s an interesting point Skolnick raises. A player of the age of Taylor wants to go out a winner; have a chance at a ring. No sober human being would suggest the Bucs will be playing in Miami next February.

In Joe’s eyes, whether Taylor plays for the Bucs or not comes down to this: What does Taylor want more, a six-(seven?) figure salary or a shot at a ring?